Why Oklahoma City Needs a Queer Community Center – Now!

Oh, I’m not going to list all of the reasons. Just point out one that’s relevant this time of year. The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved.

Like many cities in the United States, there will be a celebration and remembrance of those who lost their lives. Thankfully, one city in Oklahoma is also taking part. But its not Oklahoma City – its Tulsa. That bothers me. This is a capital city. If any city in this state is going to have such a resource first, it should be us. We’re bigger, we have more people and we have more money. Now, this is not an Oklahoma City vs. Tulsa thing, so lets not go there and I’m hardly advocating taking Tulsa’s center away in favor of us getting one. I’m simply expressing outrage that our own folks here haven’t seen fit to get their asses up or together and make it happen here.

As you might expect, the event I mentioned above is taking place at the The Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, which is run by Oklahomans for Equality. For those unaware, thats Tulsa’s community center. Every month of every year, the center plays host to numerous events of all varieties. The center is what allows Tulsa to call itself a gay community and its the glue that holds that community together in trying times. Trying times like when Brandon Patrick was bashed. Who was right there, organizing community support and demanding action? Thats right, OkEq.

Tulsa’s equality center is more than just a building. It provides a place for small, underfunded organizations and community groups to maintain an office and have their meetings. It plays host to numerous safe, responsible gatherings for the queer community. Its where Tulsa Pride comes together, planning happens and the event gets executed. Community members who need help can go there for referrals, information and help. Its a central point for dissemination of information. When an authoritative comment is needed by the media or elected officials on queer folks, its the center that they turn to. Tulsa has all this and we don’t. Why don’t we have it? Well, I addressed that in another recent note.

In 2010, I am going to dedicate as much time, energy and resources as I possibly can to getting a community center off the ground in Oklahoma City. We need it. We’ve needed it for a long time. Not just so transgendered people can be remembered, but so that the queers who inhabit Oklahoma City can become the Oklahoma City Gay Community. Because we don’t have a gay community here, we have a bunch of queers who happen to live near each other.